This invention relates to a recovery process and system for hydrogenating hydrocarbons in subsurface formations penetrated by a borehole with the use of gas generator located in the borehole.
Due to the viscous qualities of crude oil, its recovery from reservoirs is incomplete. For oil with viscosities below 25 centipoises, approximately 22% of the oil in the reservoirs remains unrecoverable because the oil clings by adhesion and surface tension to the sand or to the other media. With oils in the viscosity range from 25 to 100,000 centipoises or higher, up to 90% is currently unrecoverable (except by heating) due to failure of the oil to flow and because of adhesion and surface tension. Past efforts to recover viscous oils have primarily involved the use of heat from steam or insitu burning of the oil. Even with heating, however, the residue remains approximately at 22%.